Quick turnarounds in Maddy

ALBANY, Calif. - Thirteen days ago, Jet West and Bonfante ran first and third in a May 15 allowance sprint.

On Saturday they meet again in the $75,000 Ken Maddy Sprint, a six-furlong stakes for California-breds.

Steve Specht, who trains Bonfante, the beaten favorite in the May 15 race, believes the gelding can turn the tables on Jet West.

, who had Miguel Perez aboard, drew the rail in the allowance race. On Saturday, he drew post 3. Jet West, who drew post 5 on May 15, drew the outside post, 6, here.

"The 1-hole here, I hate it," Specht said. "I don't know why, but if you don't break sharp you can get shuffled back real easy."

That's what happened to Bonfante, who was coming out of a pair of mile turf races at Santa Anita.

"I didn't think he'd show a lot of speed coming out of those routes," Specht said. "I told Miguel to try to get him to the outside. He had a chance but wasn't able to around the half-mile pole, and he got boxed in. If he'd ever had a chance to let him run around the turn, I think he could have won, but Jet West had all the momentum."

, making his first start since winning the Earlene McCabe Derby at Sacramento on Aug. 29, won the May 15 race despite overstriding and cutting himself at the start. He dueled the whole way with Courageous King and prevailed by three-quarters of a length.

Jet West's trainer, Art Sherman, noticed a little filling in the colt's ankle after the Earlene McCabe Derby, and though it never developed into a problem, Sherman gave the colt time to recover from a hard 3-year-old campaign.

Sherman planned to pass Saturday's race but changed his mind early in the week.

"He was dead the first couple days after that race," said Sherman of Jet West's last race. "It was a hard race. It's not my way to come back after 13 days. I wouldn't have done it, but I can't believe how he's bounced back this week."

Specht thinks the quick turnaround could work in favor of his horse, Bonfante.

"In that respect, we might have a little edge," he said. "My colt has been running all winter, but it all depends upon the horse. Some can handle the quick turnaround."

Specht is happy to be off the rail, and Sherman is happy to have drawn the outside.

, who seems to have the best speed, drew the rail and will be the target for both.